China is on the hunt for a rare Siberian tiger released into the wild by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chinese state media reported on October 9 that Russia has informed Chinese forestry officials that the tiger, tagged with a tracking device, was observed in a nature reserve in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, which borders Russia.
Xinhua news agency cited the Russian officials as expressing hope that the Chinese nature reserve can protect it.
It said Chinese officials were notifying local farmers and were setting up dozens of cameras in hopes of locating the tiger.
Putin is known for stunts that cast him as a protector of wildlife.
He was photographed in May releasing the 19-month-old cub dubbed Kuzya — a popular name for housecats in Russia — and two other Siberian tigers in the far eastern Amur region.
The Siberian tiger is listed as "endangered." Some 400 of them are estimated to live in Russia’s Far East.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
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